For A Thousand Years I've Loved You
by VampireGirl1797
Summary: Adelaide Allerton fell in love with Klaus Mikaelson a thousand years ago. She was turned by her love- she was his first sire. When she realised Klaus would only have eyes for sweet Aurora, she left. But she watched over them, and now she's tasked with stopping the prophecy, aided by her visions. What will happen when they find out she is their saviour? Will her love be returned?


I sighed as I settled into the plush sofa that sat in the centre of the open-planned suite. It had been a long day. I had been on the road for months trying to track down the right Lucien Castle building. I knew he was making venom that was incurable by draining nine different werewolf packs. I knew that he was trying to fulfil the prophecy and I was making sure that all of the Mikaelson's came out of it alive.

Of course none of them knew that. I knew that realistically all of the parts had to play out perfectly, because the prophecy could not be outrun and it needed to be fulfilled. But I had thankfully found a loophole. Lucien Castle had just arrived in New Orleans to warn Nik of the prophecy, appealing to his sire to take it seriously. He had the preparations for his ultimate plan in motion for months, and I had been following closely behind him in the shadows. Which had thankfully paid off; today I had located his secret torture lab, finding out that they had finished the incurable venom and I had snuck in, collected enough for the future bites that people would inevitably possess and set the wolves free. Lucien didn't know any of this of course, I had drained his receptionist and compelled her to assure him that nothing was out of the ordinary should he call.

I had a meeting with one of the only witches I trusted tomorrow; she was to deliver a talisman that was essential for the witch, Davina and she was going to make the venom I had extracted into a balm that would heal anyone who would otherwise die if bitten by Nik's first sire. Then the next step would be New Orleans. I already knew of the dangers to come and I planned on intercepting each of them in turn, while being careful not to break the prophecy.

 _Two Weeks Later, New Orleans_

I had decided to get myself an apartment close to the compound- on the first floor of the building I knew Jackson and Hayley were living in the floor above me. I compelled a tourist to sign the lease before giving me their phone number, should I ever need anyone to be invited in. After making sure that she would never change her number, I ordered her to go straight to the airport and go home to never come back. I also made sure to file my lease where Marcel didn't have the ability to put in 'favours' and transferred the Mikaelson's lease over to them as well, with the persuasion of a huge bonus. I compelled the man handling both leases to never tamper with the contracts in any way, unless I specifically told him to.

Once I was satisfied my living quarters were secure, I decided to head over to Lucien's apartment, knowing that Freya was about to be poisoned by the strix and would need the cure. Lucien wasn't home and I entered without trouble, thankfully Nik was the Original who had sired me. Having already seen where he kept the cure in a vision, I took two doses, knowing the oldest Mikaelson may need it a second time.

I was in and out without any trouble and inside my apartment when I heard the attack. I heard a couple of vampires scream as Freya attacked them with her magic, though the tables quickly turned when they hit her with the poison. Jackson interfered soon enough and pulled her away into the safety of the compound. I eavesdropped from across the street, I knew Nik was currently out with Cami, and before Elijah could call him to tell him of Freya's condition I stuck a note inside the metallic case that held the cure and compelled a pedestrian to deliver it across the street. He was only to give it to Elijah Mikaelson.

I listened, not making a sound as my delivery was made.

'Who are you?' I heard Hayley ask.

'I have this, for Elijah Mikaelson.' The man repeated for the second time.

'Elijah! There's a compelled man at the door for you!' Rebekah called out and I grinned- I'd missed her sarcasm.

'What is it?' Freya asked, already sounding weak.

'It appears this is the cure for the poison the strix inflicted on you.' Elijah said, sounding wistful- I imagined he was looking out onto the street, wondering who could have delivered it at the right time.

'Brilliant, let's get Freya cured so she can cure Rebekah and hopefully still have a relatively normal Christmas.' Hayley said, and at that I tuned out, knowing I had a new crisis to deal with.

Rebekah's curse wasn't going to be as easy to cure as they were hoping, and I had a plan on how to deal with that. A little town called Mystic Falls had two twins that had the ability to syphon. Of course it had taken some persuasion but they should be here in about an hour along with a certain Alaric Saltzman- I was lucky he trusted me after I had helped them out with some business involving Silas a little while ago, otherwise I was sure he wouldn't have come. I was due to pick them up at the airport, so after calling a car to pick me up in the side alley I headed that way.

'Ric!' I yelled when I spotted him coming from departures, I kneeled down when the twins sprinted over to me, allowing them to envelop me in a hug.

'I've missed you two the most,' I whispered to them, 'don't tell your father.'

They giggled and I laughed with them before reaching up to give Rick a hug too.

'Everyone misses you.' Rick told me, ruffling my hair much to my despair.

'I miss them too, but I'm kinda tied up over here.' I told him, holding Lizzies hand, her other hand holding Josie's, while Rick held Josie's other hand.

He didn't push for more and I appreciated it; he knew how I worked and that I wouldn't reveal anything that could be potentially life threatening unless absolutely necessary. We spent the drive to my apartment catching up on everything that was going on; Rick and Caroline had been living together for a while now and were thinking of getting married. I told him I didn't think that was going to happen, because Caroline was still in love with Stefan. He didn't look surprised, and I knew he must have bought it up on purpose because he wanted an honest opinion.

'You'll find someone, Rick. Caroline's just not the girl for you I'm afraid.' I squeezed his hand sympathetically and was awarded with a warm smile just as we pulled into the side alley by my building.

I quickly ushered them into my apartment and listened to what was going on over the street. Bekah was freaking out, but she was close to being cured by Freya's magic. We still had time.

'Who wants pizza?' I asked, grinning when both twins jumped up and down in excitement as I walked over to the fridge, 'well lucky for you two I have your favourite!'

That was met with more cheering before Rick ushered them towards the toys I had bought in preparation for their arrival, shaking his head as he went. I had gone a little overboard but I couldn't help it- I didn't get to see the twins very often so I thought it was fair that I got to spoil them when I did. I placed the sausage and cheese pizza's in the oven and poured them some pure orange juice, smiling as they started to dramatically act out the scenes in one of the books I had bought them- _Cat in the Hat._

We had just finished dinner when I heard it- they got Bekah under control, temporarily at least. I gave Rick a discreet signal and he nodded, standing and shrugging on his beige leather jacket.

'Listen girls, can you do your favourite aunt a HUGE favour?' I asked them, kneeling down on the ground and placing a hand on each of their arms.

I smiled softly when they both nodded enthusiastically.

'There's a really pretty girl called Bekah over the street and she needs you to help her take away the bad stuff that's inside of her. You remember how to do that? Like mommy taught you?' I murmured, making sure to keep my voice light.

'I do!' Lizzie piped up, throwing her hand in the air.

'Me too!' Josie answered excitedly.

'That's great!' I grinned, their happiness contagious, 'she might not believe you, but you need to take it anyway or she might get really sick.'

'We'll do it, Aunt Addy,' the twins said together.

'Thank you girls. It shouldn't take too long and when you get back we'll watch a movie.' I promised, helping them into their jackets while Rick drank some of the vervain water I had laid out on the side for him.

'You're not coming?' Lizzie scrunched up her little nose in confusion.

'No sweetie, and if anyone asks you, please don't tell them I'm here okay?' I said, keeping my voice light again, 'it'll be our little secret.' I winked.

'Okay!' They said together- they were starting to get to the age where they found keeping secrets thrilling and mysterious.

I kissed both of them on the cheeks and turned to their father, relaying all I needed to tell him with a single look. He understood and nodded in assurance. With that, they left and I remained seated, not moving a muscle as I listened to what was happening over the street.

The girls giggled as they made their way up to the front gates, Rick's feet trailing behind them. I heard those in the compound go silent as they heard the approaching visitors. I held my breath as I waited for what was about to happen.

'It appears we have visitors,' Elijah's soft voice murmured, I heard his footsteps echo across the stone floor as he headed for the door.

'Alaric Saltzman. What an unexpected surprise, and who might you two be?' Elijah asked, I would imagine he was smiling as the girls giggled at him.

'I'm Josie.'

'I'm Lizzie.'

'Pleased to meet you both. I'm Elijah.' The original sounded amused and I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, 'what can I do for you?'

'We're here to help the pretty girl.' Josie said brightly, her feet clambering loudly on the floor and I assumed she had just sneaked past the original, dragging her sister with her.

'Bekah!' Lizzie piped up, sounding proud that she had remembered.

'What's all this?' The mentioned original said, and I knew she would be fawning all over the girls- she'd always wanted kids.

'We have to take the bad away.' Josie explained.

'Yes, or you'll get sick.' Lizzie babbled.

'I see. Well I suppose I don't want to get sick.' Bekah said, I could tell there was a smile in her voice.

'Rebekah-,' Elijah started but stopped abruptly- I assumed Bekah had waved him off.

There was silence and that indicated that the girls were doing their thing and syphoning the curse that still lingered in Bekah's blood. I heard the original gasp abruptly and then the silence returned before a million questions were thrown at her.

'Are you alright?' Elijah asked.

'What's going on here?' Nik yelled, I heard a whoosh and assumed he was now by his sister's side.

'Sister?' Freya murmured.

'I'm okay… I actually feel amazing.' Bekah assured them before softening her voice, 'thank you both so much. I owe you my complete and utter gratitude.'

'No you owe it to our aunt-,' Josie started and I tensed, worried about what would be revealed.

'Shhhh! We're not supposed to say anything, remember?' Lizzie reminded her twin, sounding annoyed.

'We can keep a secret,' Nik said, sounding amused and curious, 'who sent you to help us?'

There was a pause before both girls said, 'our aunt-,'

I breathed a sigh of relief when Rick cut them off and told the original family and Hayley that they should be leaving.

'Hang on a minute, mate. Surely you must know our saviour?' Nik pressed, I assumed he was trying to compel him but at Rick's silence he just laughed, 'on vervain I see.'

'Only an idiot wouldn't be when walking into a house full of originals.' Rick countered before softening his voice, 'come on Lizzie, Josie.'

I heard the patter patter of little feet as the twins ran to his side.

'Niklaus.' Elijah uttered a warning, and I wondered what the reckless original was planning to do.

'Thank you.' Nik murmured, probably taking the whole room by surprise, 'all of you for helping my sister. If you like you can stay, we have quite the feast planned.'

'Actually we need to be going. We have a flight to catch, but thank you for the offer.' Rick said politely, his feet trailing towards the exit, 'and you're welcome. I wouldn't have come but-' he broke off just in time before he said my name, 'but someone really doesn't want any of you to die.'

With that, he left, taking the long way around encase they were being watched and came into my building through the back exit. Thanks to my vampire speed, I had all of the preparations made for our sleep over- the curtains were drawn, the lights down low and the snacks were laid out on the small circular coffee table. Pillows were scattered all over the floor and ' _The Lion King 2'_ was ready to go on the television.

'You were both _brilliant!_ ' I greeted them, giving them both a massive hug in thanks.

'Thanks aunt Addy!' The girls chorused, before heading to change into their pyjamas at their father's request.

'Thank you for bringing them, Rick.' I smiled, squeezing his hand gratefully.

'Of course, they wanted to help and so did I. Though I wouldn't have lost any sleep over letting the original Barbie go crazy.' Rick rolled his eyes playfully and I shoved him lightly, not bothering with a retort. He knew he didn't know the original family- sans Freya- like I did.

It was just past midnight- the twins and Rick were fast asleep and I had more business to take care of. Aurora- Nik's trollop of a first girlfriend- had compelled Cami to kill herself with vampire blood in her system. It was going to happen any minute now. I needed to stop it- because I knew being a vampire wasn't going to end well for her- but there was just one problem. I couldn't get into the bloody house. Being a vampire was an advantage on many occasions- getting into a house while a living person owned it was not one of them. But I had a brain wave and called the man I had compelled to handle the contracts to my apartment and the compound. I asked him to make it null from now until I told him to reinstate it.

When I stepped over the threshold I breathed a silent sigh of relief, before flashing to Nik's bedroom, not wanting to waste any time. I opened the door slowly, quietly just in time to see Cami pulling out the small dosage of blood that Aurora had given her, I flashed over to her immediately and took the vial from her hand.

'You will ignore Aurora's compulsion and will not try to kill yourself with or without vampire blood in your system. You will remember that she tried to compel you, and that someone countered it, but you will not remember or give any details about me. Do you understand?' I compelled her, making sure my voice wasn't loud enough to rouse the sleeping hybrid next to her.

'I understand.' She croaked and I released her, glad that she hadn't taken any vervain- she would have taken some that morning but it had drained out of her system at this point.

With that, I left, taking Aurora's dash of blood with me. After putting in a call to have the contract reinstated, I finally allowed myself to go to sleep, pleased with how the day had turned out.

 _The next day_

After seeing the Saltzman family safely off to the airport, and after a teary goodbye with promises to see each other soon, I decided to pay a visit to Davina- there wouldn't be any issues until later that day now that Cami's almost transition had been taken care of.

I knew that the witch was determined to bring Kol back from the dead, and honestly so was I. I'd missed him and when I had found out about the witches' desires, I knew that the one of the ways to do it would be to go through with what I had originally seen; Kol being bought back by Davina channelling the nexus vorti that would occur when Klaus' sire line was broken. I didn't like that plan; as it would leave Nik vulnerable, but the potential ritual was weeks away, so instead I focused on what the ancestors would inevitably bring Kol to do. I wanted to put a caution in place, to assure that when Kol killed Davina she wouldn't be stuck on the other side, instead once consecrated, her soul would retreat into the amulet that I had procured from a witch. I just needed to find a way to make her wear it and once it was on it would be fine; it was spelled so it couldn't be removed.

Shouldn't be too hard. Note the sarcasm.

I saw her in the market, trying to by some aconite flower, but the witch behind the stall was ignoring her. I walked over, asking for it instead. Once I had paid I handed it to her. She seemed suspicious and I offered her a friendly smile.

'I'm Sophie. My sister was a witch who was also shunned by her coven because she was dating a werewolf, so I sort of get what you're going through.' I shrugged, shoving my hands into my pockets. I was hoping she hadn't noticed my slight hesitation when I had given her my name- I had considered giving her my real one but I decided against it on the off chance it got back to the Originals.

'Well, thank you.' Davina smiled kindly as we started walking, 'at least let me pay you.'

'No, don't worry about it, really. I was actually coming over to you about something else… my sister was targeted by the ancestors in her coven maybe in the same way that you were and she wore this necklace.' I produced the amulet from my pocket, showing it to her discretely, 'when they tried to attack her on the other side, her soul went inside of this rather than going to the waiting ancestors. It saved her life and she wanted me to give it to you, to save yours.'

'I don't understand? How would your sister know I'd need something like this?' Davina was suspicious, and with good reason.

'Because she gets visions. They're rare, so when she gets them it means it's urgent.' I told her, grateful I'd had a thousand years to perfect the art of lying, 'and I understand if you don't trust me, but I promised her I'd deliver it to you, so please take it.'

Davina considered me for a moment before taking the leather bound amulet; I assumed her fear over the ancestors' retribution outweighed her trust in strangers because she tied it around her neck without a second thought. After she thanked me, we said our goodbyes and I flashed back to my apartment as soon as I was out of sight. I realised with a curse that I had been too long and Hayley and Jackson had already been taken. From the sounds of it, Jackson was already dead. My heart broke for her, because even though I knew she was in love with Elijah, she had loved Jackson.

Of course, they had already kidnapped Aurora as a bargaining chip to get Hayley and the magical object back. In my original vision, they had managed to trap Tristan in a container using the very object he wanted to use against the Mikaelson's by using Cami- with her being in transition she would be able to escape the container once the object had been activated. But of course, I had intervened and they wouldn't have that option. I had another plan, though. I just needed to be there when it went down, and I would need to blend in. If Elijah or Klaus saw me, it was game over.

I headed over to the warehouse after changing my clothing so that I was wearing all black. I integrated myself, strategically walking close to Tristan, but making sure I didn't draw his attention; he would have recognised me as well. After making sure no one was looking, I took the weapon from his pocket and placed it into mine, filing away from him to stand at the back, against the wall. I hid my face by pulling my hood up, smirking at Nik's taunts and Elijah's barely controlled frustration. I had to physically restrain myself from walking over to them- it had been centuries since we had last spoken… for reasons that were still hard to acknowledge. Thanks to our parting, though, I knew I would be the last person they would suspect of helping them.

'Gentleman,' Tristan greeted, stepping forward, 'I wish I could say it was a pleasure.'

'Marcellus,' Nik murmured, eying the man to Tristan's right, 'made your bed with the enemy, I see.'

'Membership has its privileges.' Marcel answered snidely, of course I knew it was all for show.

'Let's get on with this, shall we?' Nik smirked, sharing a look with Tristan.

The former nodded, signalling two men to bring forward a severely weak looking Hayley, bound with chains. I saw the outrage in both Mikaelson brothers' faces and I felt fury grow in my own belly; I may not know her personally but I felt like I did, through my visions, and I cared for her safety. She was released and immediately fell to her knees, too weak to stand.

'Hayley Marshall- Kenner. Only slightly worse for wear.' Tristan smirked, 'you'll have to forgive her if she seems a bit off… there's enough wolfsbane in her system to kill an entire pack. However here she is, as requested. Now where's my sister?'

'She lives.' Nik answered, stepping forward with a smile playing on his lips, 'you can thank Elijah for that… I wanted to flay her and hang her skin as a flag.'

Anya glanced over at Tristan while I fought a smirk at the hybrid's words.

'Anyway enough chitchat, lets conclude this tedious business shall we?' Nik asked.

Tristan stepped forward, stopping a foot from Nik, 'my sister first. And if you're tempted to argue, consider the numbers.'

Nik smirked and closed the gap a little more before turning and walking to the storage container that was behind him and his brother. He pulled the metal door open with a sadistic smile, gesturing for Tristan to go ahead. I peeked in and saw the red hair, the face was covered with a black sack so I had no way of knowing if this was the real Aurora or not.

'If they try anything, attack.' Tristan told Anya before flashing into the container.

He pulled the bag off from her head and growled in annoyance- it was a dead body, one who looked nothing like Aurora beyond her red hair. Before Tristan could flash from the container, I took the weapon out of my pocket and threw it hard enough that it landed inside the container, along the back wall and activated. Once it was done, I flashed from the room- I wasn't about to hang around long enough to be recognised and I knew that everyone else would likely think it was a member of the strix, which was perfectly fine with me.

When I got back to my building, I hastily raced up to Hayley's apartment, as sad as it was now that Jackson was dead I would be able to get in without an invitation. I was rooting around the place for ten minutes before I found it- the wooded horse figurine that just happened to be made of white oak. I was just about to take it when I stopped and thought.

The white oak was needed in the ritual to make Lucian more powerful than an original, which he needed to do in order to complete the prophecy. But if I took it and destroyed it, there would be no white oak to be used- I had researched the original spell that had made the Mikaelson's vampires and while white oak was used, it wouldn't be essential to Lucien. I knew through his company that he already had a fail safe encase he didn't get the white oak, so with that I took the horse back to my apartment and burned it, making sure every last splinter was destroyed.

I was just about to nod off in bed, when I heard quiet conversation coming from upstairs.

'Are you sure you don't wish to stay with us tonight?' It was Nik's voice; I assumed he was talking to Hayley.

'No, I need to be here.' Hayley answered, sounding close to tears.

'Are you-,' Nik sounded like he was about to argue but he paused.

'What is it?' The younger hybrid asked.

'There's a scent in here that doesn't belong.' He said by way of explanation, his feet trailing out of her apartment and down the stairs.

When he stopped in front of my door I stopped breathing. I was grateful that my heart stopped beating centuries ago otherwise I knew it would have been racing in my chest in that moment, giving me away. Before I could blink, my apartment door was thrown open and I jerked so harshly that I fell out of my bed with a thump.

'Come out, come out whoever you are.' Nik's voice taunted.

The front door was on the far end of the apartment, and the wall jutted out just after the doorframe, meaning that he couldn't see me from where he was standing.

'What are you doing?' Hayley demanded, sounding like she thought he had gone crazy.

I was silently cursing myself for lingering in her apartment earlier, if I hadn't my scent would have faded and I wouldn't have let him straight to my door.

'The scent leads here.' Nik said by way of explanation before yelling, 'I can wait here all night.'

I believed him, but I remained quiet.

'Whoever it is has to leave sometime.' Hayley reasoned with him, 'we'll keep an eye on it now that we know someone is living there.'

Nik sighed, obviously not happy with that plan, but he relented.

'We'll be seeing each other.' Nik warned the empty space in front of him before pushing off my doorframe and leaving.

I lay there for thirty minutes, not moving, making sure that they had both actually gone before flashing around the apartment like a maniac and gathering all of my essentials. Once I was packed I listened once more, making sure that a certain pair of hybrids weren't near before I flashed from my apartment and to the black sedan I had parked behind the building.

It looked like I was going to be staying in a hotel for the time being. I booked myself into the biggest suite available and gave them a fake name- Sophie Taylor. I didn't even bother to unpack and simply fell face first onto the giant bed, exhausted. I needed to be more careful, it seemed.

 _A Week Later_

The past week passed by uneventfully, Davina joined the strix and spent some time trying to find the weapon that could kill the originals. Though if I hadn't interfered earlier Klaus would be dealing with Cami being a vampire and stealing the weapon that could kill his family. Thankfully, I had already destroyed it, though when Klaus had finally figured out what it was and they had gone looking for it only to discover it missing, they figured an enemy had stolen it. Needless to say, they were all on edge. I had sent them a note through another compelled messenger yesterday that appeared to frustrate Nik massively. I had listened from the street, pretending to be interested in one of the many stalls.

'I have a message for you.' The man said, monotone.

'Ah, lovely. Just one moment.' Nik said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, 'Elijah, Freya, Hayley!'

Once they had all joined him he asked the messenger to say what he needed to say.

'I have noticed you are concerned about the location of the white oak. I assure you I destroyed it, the night you came bursting into my home actually. I must say I didn't appreciate your manners, Niklaus, for I have had to move. Stop trying to figure out who I am, I need to remain hidden if I am to help.'

'Niklaus? Who does this person think they are!' Nik thundered, not liking that he didn't know who was calling him by his birth name. Of course I had known that would be the case, I had to slip it in to rattle him a little.

'Niklaus, perhaps your temper is a little misplaced.' Elijah had lightly scolded him after my compelled pedestrian walked away.

'I don't think it is. Someone is manipulating our fates, brother, what if they want something in return when this is all over?' Nik sounded furious and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, both at his temper and his remark. Still as paranoid as ever it seemed.

'If they do want something, surely you'll be happy to give it to them if they prevent this prophecy?' Freya asked, sounding bewildered.

Silence met Freya's question for a long time until Nik agreed, saying any price was worth saving his family. It had only been a day ago, but the family seemed to be calming down, having taken my words seriously believing that I had destroyed the weapon.

Now, my focus was on trying to find a way to bring back Kol that wouldn't involve the use of the nexus vorti; I didn't want Nik's sire bond to be broken and if I could bring back Kol before it was going to happen it would mean that Nik wouldn't be vulnerable. I needed to get my hands on that spell, or at least have a vision about the needed ingredients. Seeing as I didn't think I could get near Anya, no matter how stealthy I was, I needed to force a vision. Which meant I needed something of Kol's… that was going to be the tricky part. Things of Kol's were in the compound, where all of the Originals and Hayley were staying- they hadn't so much as taken a step out of there in the past week, so even if I got their contract suspended I wouldn't be able to sneak in and out without them seeing me.

I had an idea, I just hoped it worked.

With a sigh, I wrote a note and placed it in a small cardboard box before flashing into the busy street in front of their house. I walked casually to the corner; I wouldn't put it past Nik to be watching to see if he could find the one who kept saving them. I found a random woman and compelled her to take the box to the compound and wait for a response before leaving and bringing it back to me. I stayed where I was, leaning against the wall and listening to the interaction.

'Bloody hell. Another compelled pedestrian.' Nik huffed, sounding annoyed.

'What can we do for you?' Elijah's voice was much more calm and soothing.

The pedestrian didn't answer, but I assumed she handed over the box because the hybrid started reading it aloud.

'I have a favour to ask of you. I'm looking for a way to stop something terrible, but in order to do it I need something of your younger brother's. Please place it inside this card board box, I will assure that Kol's possession remains safe and I give you my word I'll return it when I'm done.' Nik scoffed, 'what the bloody hell does this person want with something of Kol's?'

'I do not know, but I believe we should provide it- our saviour has given us no reason not to trust them.' Elijah said, sounding contemplative.

'What if they're just trying to earn our trust? What if they're actually plotting to kill us?' Nik disagreed, his fury and paranoia never quit that was for sure.

I sighed, ignoring the pang of hurt at his words; Nik was the reason I had parted from the family all those centuries ago, but he didn't know that. I had been scared then and I was terrified now, I didn't think I could ever tell him how I felt, how I still feel even after all this time. It was why I knew he would never suspect me, Adelaide Allerton, because he believed I hated him, and that I had abandoned him and the only family I had ever cared about. But that couldn't have been further from the truth; I _loved_ him, more than I ever had anyone.

I had been there when he and his family came to Tristan and Aurora's home. While Nik had fallen for the red head immediately, I had fallen for him. I found him intriguing, beautiful and incredible. I had been the daughter of a wealthy family, but I was the only representative; my father had remained at our castle because my mother was sick. I had been sent to avoid any misgivings. I usually hated those kinds of gatherings, but when he had walked in, I had been drawn to him immediately, the way he moved, spoke, smiled… _everything_. I had been brave enough to strike up conversation, but it became apparent that Aurora was the one who held his affections. I was heartbroken, but I understood. I remained as a friend, to all of the Mikaelson's but to Nik especially, though Aurora never liked me and would taunt me whenever I was alone with her.

When I had found out about what they were, my feelings never changed; it had been when we were all having a picnic, without Aurora, on the endless green fields and I had accidentally struck myself with a pin as I was sowing. Their faces had changed, but none of them attacked me. I apologised and covered the wound with some fabric, and once they got over their astonishment at how easily I had brushed it off, I had basically became a member of the family. Of course, a certain red head hadn't liked that, and had stabbed me one evening in the abdomen with a sword. Nik had found me and healed me with his blood, Lucien hadn't been turned at that point, but Nik had discovered what his blood could do a few weeks earlier. He asked me what had happened and I told him the truth. Words couldn't have described how… heartbroken I had been when he didn't believe me; his _sweet_ and _innocent_ Aurora would never do such a thing.

I had run from him and straight back to my chambers with tears streaming down my face, sobbing so hard that my chest hurt. I had irrational thoughts running through my mind; Aurora would delight in rubbing this in my face, that Nik would never believe me over her, that he would never love me. Her taunts would get worse and the next time she decided to stab me with a sword she would make sure that no one who could heal me was around. Panic overcame me at that realisation, and I had hastily decided that I would rather die than have to face the man I was in love with and have to go through the pain that he would never love me over and over again. With that, I had jumped from my window. I didn't remember any pain, just the smell of lavender and the wind softly brushing my face. It had almost been freeing.

I had woken up to the original family crying around my body. I didn't know how long I had been there for but when I had suddenly shot up, gasping for air I had been overcome by a primal hunger. _I_ had been Nik's first sire, with Lucien being his second a month later. They had all been delighted I was alive- but as a newly turned vampire the hurt and betrayal I felt towards Nik was heightened and I spent the first few weeks of being a vampire ignoring his existence. He didn't seek me out; too preoccupied with his precious Aurora, and that was when I knew I had to leave. I waited until Elijah had secured me a daylight ring and then I left, without a word to anyone. I hadn't seen them since.

I had discovered a few months after I separated from them that I had the ability to see the future; I was known as an Oracle, according to the witch I saw anyway. I could see more then any other seer, and with enough notice to change the future. I had always been watching over the Mikaelson's from the side lines, helping them with escaping from Mikael, stopping people from Mystic Falls from killing them… the list goes on. But I had _never_ been this close before. I had never made them aware of my interference, and I wouldn't be if it weren't necessary. They needed to know I destroyed the oak because they were acting like idiots trying to find it, I needed something from Kol to prevent the sire line from being broken and Josie and Lizzie needed to remove the curse from Bekah or she would have been daggered and used as bait for the Mikaelson's when Lucien completed the ritual.

I was scared they were going to discover me, but I was being careful and I knew once this was over I would be leaving town and putting as much space between me and the Original family as I could. As much as I missed them, as fiercely as I loved them-well… aside from Finn, he and I just didn't get along- I just couldn't bear to be overlooked again, and I knew I would be. If they accepted me into the family it would just be me becoming more and more devastated as Klaus looked around me again, but instead of looking to Aurora he would look to Cami. I just couldn't do it.

'There you go, love. Send our saviour all our best.' Nik said, I could tell by his tone that he was smirking and I cursed; I'd been so lost in the past that I'd missed the entire conversation.

Feeling more alert than ever, I waited, unseen against the wall as the compelled pedestrian went to the original meeting point. Before she got there I flashed over to her, grabbing her and moving far away from the compound. When we landed I compelled her to forget it had happened and to carry on with whatever she had been doing before I grabbed her. Satisfied, I flashed back to the hotel, my breath catching when I saw what was in the box- it was the carved dove necklace I had gifted Kol for his birthday all those years ago. That couldn't be a coincidence. I asked for something of Kol's and they gave me something _I_ had given him centuries ago?

Shaking off my paranoia, I decided I would deal with my suspicions later- I didn't have much time to figure this out. I sat cross-legged in the centre of my bed and slipped into the trance like state I had become familiar with. It was similar to meditation, only I was leaving my mind open to receiving a vision and I was focusing it on the medallion I was holding.

 _Anya approached Davina, showing her around the small greenhouse that had a rectangular pool of water in the centre._

' _I can help you bring your boyfriend back.' She gloated, handing her a piece of paper, 'this spell takes a lot of power, but it will work.'_

 _Davina read over it and hesitated looking over to the dark skinned vampire._

' _Take it. When you're ready to join us come and find me.' Anya offered her a smug smile and left._

 _Davina looked over the spell, her brow furrowing in concern, I assumed Anya had been telling the truth and it would require a lot of power._

' _The blood of two brothers and the ashes of the dead.' Davina mumbled._

I gasped as I returned to the present. I knew what I needed to do; I was already aware that Davina had Kol's ashes I just needed the blood of two brothers. If I thought that getting something of the youngest Mikaelson's was going to be difficult then I was in for a shock. How was I supposed to get Elijah and Nik's blood without either of them noticing? I had the feeling that Anya was going to approach Davina in a few days, so I had time. Not a lot of it, but some. With a sigh I flashed back to the compound and handed the package to another pedestrian, compelling them to return it to the compound and thank the occupants before leaving and forgetting it ever happened. Once I was finished I flashed back to my hotel, trying to think of the best way to go about this.

Sixteen hours later and I was ready to go- I had thought this out meticulously. I had some ashes spelled to immobilise whoever I spilled them on for three minutes- even an original- as long as I snuck in when they were both asleep I was golden. I had put a call in and got the contract for the compound nullified, so when I had grabbed the necessities- some giant syringes and the ashes, I was ready to go.

I stepped silently through the compound, deciding to collect Elijah's blood first as I knew he was a lighter sleeper than Nik. I wouldn't have long to orchestrate this, so I needed to be fast and I couldn't afford to make a mistake. I opened the noble Mikaelson's door quietly and snuck over to the side of his bed. I had the syringe in one hand and the ashes in the other. Without another thought I lightly blew the ashes over his face, his muscles relaxed even more as he became temporality paralysed. I didn't waste any time and had a syringe of his blood in no time. Once I was finished I went to Nik's room, wincing when I saw the light coming from underneath his door. I focused my hearing, but it was no use he was a supernatural creature and wouldn't be making any noise if he were awake or not.

'Can I help you love?' I tensed at the voice that came from behind me. In that moment I was glad I had my hood up- I was dressed in the same outfit I had worn when I wanted to blend in with the strix.

'Another compelled pedestrian I presume?' I relaxed a little; of course he thought I was human, as far as he was aware the house was protected from vampires entering without an invitation.

Without waiting for him to force me to turn around I flashed away, coming to a stop behind him and quickly blowing the ashes onto the back of his neck. He fell to the floor immediately, his eyes closed and his breathing low as if he were sleeping. I quickly rolled up his sleeve, gathered a syringe of his blood and I was just about to leave but hesitated. I stared at the face I hadn't been this close to in years, my heart squeezing painfully as his betrayal slapped me in the face once again. With a sad smile I bought my hand to the side of his face, my thumb moving back and forth, my skin being gently scraped by his stubble.

With a sigh I stood, pocketing the syringe of his blood and wiping away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks without consent. Once I was sure I had everything, I left. After placing a call to get the contract to the compound reinstated, and placing the blood in the mini- fridge, I fell face down into bed.

I woke up with renowned determination. If this went well, Kol would be back tonight. With that in mind, I gathered the blood and went to the attic where I knew Davina had been kept a few years ago. I knew she would come here, wanting to contact Kol for answers. I was sat on the dusty bed when I heard two sets of footsteps heading my way. I straightened, but didn't get up.

'What are you doing here?' Davina asked, sounding surprised and suspicious.

'I actually have something for you.' I told her with a smile, slowly standing.

'Another necklace?' She asked with a smile.

I laughed, pulling out the syringes of blood, 'actually no. I told you my sister has visions, well she had another.'

'I'm listening.' Davina, and her friend Josh regarded me with open interest.

'She saw you using the strix to bring Kol back, but she saw a lot of deaths occurring as a result.' My voice was soft and compelling; I knew she believed what I was saying.

'So are you saying I can't bring Kol back?' She sounded distraught and I surprised us both by placing a comforting hand on top of hers.

'No. She found another way. When she had a vision of you receiving the spell she saw the ingredients. I was assured you already had the ashes and I just needed to get the blood of two brothers.' I said, offering her the blood I'd been holding in my other hand.

'What is this?' Davina sounded surprised.

'The blood of Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson. If they ask how you got it, please don't mention me. I just follow my sister's orders and I know that Klaus will hunt me down if he figures out I'm the one who jumped him.' I said, trying to look afraid, which wasn't hard. The idea of Nik finding out I was here scared me more than I cared to admit.

'Thank you, but I'll still need the help of the strix's coven. I don't have enough power to do this on my own.' Davina sounded sad and Josh placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

'I have something that can help you with that.' I produced the necklace that had once belonged to the original witch; once I explained its significance she gawked at me, a mixture of impressed and amazed.

'I don't even want to know how you got that.' She muttered, gently accepting it and walking over to the far corner of the room, grabbing everything she needed.

'Are you doing it now?' I asked, it was my turn to be impressed.

'Yes. I have everything I need and with this to channel,' she held up the necklace, 'I don't need to wait.'

'Okay great.' I nodded, happy that my plan was working, 'I just have one favour to ask.'

'Anything,' Davina agreed, drawing symbols in chalk on the floor.

'Don't tell anyone I was involved, either of you. If anyone asks, you figured it out on your own and you got everything you needed without any help.' I told her, praying she agreed.

'Are you sure?' She sounded confused and paused in her preparations to frown at me, 'why would you go through all this trouble just to walk away without recognition?'

'That's for me to know. Can you do this for me?' I asked again.

She regarded me for a moment before shrugging and offering me a warm smile, 'I promise that Josh and I won't tell anyone about your involvement. It'll be like you were never here.'

'Thank you.' I beamed, giving her a hug, 'I should go. Good luck.'

As I flashed back to my hotel room I considered what I had actually changed. The ancestors would still control Kol, because they would ensure they hijacked her spell so that they could implement their revenge, but Davina wouldn't join the strix and the spell to break the link between Elijah, Nik and their sires wouldn't go forward. I was perfectly fine with that, seeing as I didn't want the hybrid or vampire to be vulnerable. They wouldn't go after Hayley because Davina wouldn't figure out how to cast the spell. Finn would still come back. Lucien would still go forward with the ritual, but instead of being able to kill his sire, he would kill his family and make him watch. Of course, I knew that wasn't going to happen, but he didn't need to just yet.

 _The Next Day_

I knew that today would be the day that Stefan Salvatore would roll into town. I had gotten to know the occupants of Mystic Falls properly during the whole Silas fiasco. Of course I had been on the outskirts, keeping an eye on the Mikaelson's, and when they moved on to New Orleans I decided to stay a while. I knew what was waiting for him in his old favourite city wasn't anything he couldn't handle. I had actually only moved on very recently; despite all of the horrors that were faced with Dahlia and Ester, I knew they could handle it. So I decided to let myself make some friends for the first time in centuries. I loved my Mystic Falls gang and I missed them. So when I saw that Stefan was coming to New Orleans, I decided to show up at the bar early, giving us some time before Nik inevitably showed up.

'Well, I'll be, Stefan Salvatore you're a sight for soar eyes,' I told him grinning at the disbelief on his face.

'Addy?' His tone betrayed his shock and I grinned running up to him and basically leaping into his arms. He laughed when I wrapped my legs around his waist and hugged him tightly. To anyone else we looked like a couple but that couldn't have been further from the truth; he was like my little brother.

'I would ask how you are but I already know the answer to that.' I gave him a look, pinching his cheek when he blushed, 'come on Stef, I'll get you a drink.'

'Sure, Addy. I can't stay for long, though.' Stefan told me, taking a seat at the bar next to me.

'Yeah, yeah I'm aware. You've got the psychotic Regna Cruz after you, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy one drink with your dearest friend before you leave,' I winked, handing him a double bourbon.

Stefan laughed, wistfully shaking his head, 'I've missed you, Addy.'

'I've missed you to Stefan.' I smiled, squeezing his hand a little, 'I'm still cleaning up messes left, right and centre here. It should calm down soon though and then I can visit you guys.'

'Everyone would love that.' He beamed, and I was glad I could bring him some joy in the middle of a crisis.

'Klaus is gonna be here soon so I'm gonna have to take off, but here.' I handed him a ring, it was bronze and had a deep red gem in the centre.

'What is this for?' He asked knowingly; he knew I didn't just give out objects unless they were needed.

'Freya will hook you up with a balm to mask the signal of that killer mark on your chest, but the ring will stop your soul from being sucked into that stupid sword if she stabs you with it.' I assured him, needing to know that he would be safe.

'Thanks, Addy.' He hugged me tightly as I stood.

'Another thing, that bitch will stay dead if you kill her enough times. Anyone with the mark will die with her, but as long as you're wearing that ring you should be good.' I kissed his cheek and hugged him again, hating that I had to leave.

'So you're saying we just need to keep killing her?' Stefan clarified, at my nod he hugged me so hard a few of my ribs cracked.

I laughed and was about to tell him to be a little gentler when a familiar scent invaded my nostrils. I leaned forward and whispered so only Stefan could hear me.

'Klaus is here, I have to go. Don't tell anyone I was here Stefan, please.' I pleaded, when he nodded his assent I flashed from the bar, cursing myself for another close call.

Once Stefan had been hooked up with the paste from Freya, he was on his way. Originally he would have stayed to help Hayley and Freya stop the sire lines from being broken, but seeing as that wasn't going to happen anymore, there hadn't been any reason for him to hang around. Over the next few days, I could feel the storm was coming because everything was so calm… it made my heckles rise. And sure enough, the very next day… everything kicked off. Freya was taken and seeing as I already knew where they were going, I headed to Mystic Falls in my car without hesitation. When I got there I had to resist the urge to call in on my friends and head straight for the site where the ritual was going to be held- the same place it had been a thousand years ago.

I watched in horror as Lucien used Freya and Vincent to create a new species- I had already seen it happen in my vision but it didn't make it any less horrifying. Finn and Elijah showed up eventually, to save their sister, but unknowingly helped Lucien complete his transformation. I fought the urge to intervene the entire time, reminding myself that Lucien had to do it, the prophecy needed to be completed so that no one else could rise to the challenge. I winced when Finn got bitten and flashed back to my car, satisfied that everything was going according to plan. I arrived in New Orleans ten minutes before Freya, Finn and Elijah, giving me enough time to fetch one dosage of the balm. I waited until they were securely in the compound and then compelled a pedestrian to take it straight in.

'Finn, you keep feeding straight from the source, Kol-,' Nik's orders were cut off abruptly and I knew he must have saw who I'd sent in.

'Who are you?' Freya asked, sounding teary.

'I have this, the cure for Finn Mikaelson.' The man said, monotone.

There was silence, and for a good five minutes I didn't know what was happening until-

'It appears our saviour has struck again,' Nik mused, sounding vaguely impressed, 'the balm has worked. Remind me to send this person a gift basket if we ever bloody find out who it is.'

'Whoever it is… they're rather remarkable.' Elijah murmured, sounding relieved.

'Indeed.' Finn agreed.

'Finn…' Kol started, sounding like he'd rather be being tortured than say whatever he was about to, 'I don't forgive you for what you did… but I'm glad you're not dead.'

'Thank you, brother.' Finn chuckled.

Satisfied everything was alright for the time being, I flashed back to my hotel, trying to decide what my next move was going to be. Lucien was going to come for the family, and so I put in a call with my favourite Bennett witch to protect Rebekah. If anyone tried to do a locater spell on her, it would appear as if she were in New Orleans, somewhere in the Bayou. Once that was done, I worried about Cami. He would use her to draw out Nik, though if she stayed in her apartment she would be fine. Deciding that Cami wouldn't come to any harm I contemplated what was going to happen. I had changed so much it was easy to assume that would cause a ripple effect and create a future even I wouldn't be prepared for.

After exhausting every possibility I fell asleep, needing the energy for the events that were going to occur the next day.

 _The next day_

'What do you mean?' I heard Marcel ask Davina, I was eavesdropping from the street.

'The ancestors are controlling Kol. I had to dagger him until I can figure out how to break the hold they have.' Davina explained, and I shook my head with sympathy; there was no way to break it. The only way it would die would be with her death, but I wasn't going to tell her that; she was going to die by Kol's hands that very night. I had everything prepared. I knew where and when it was going to happen, so I decided to leave my spying of the youngest Mikaelson's misgivings and check on everyone else. Finn had left the night before, promising to lay low and I didn't think he would have a problem seeing as Lucien believed him to be dead.

'He's after Rebekah.' Freya murmured, 'I cast a spell to provide us with a warning, and it tells me he's after our sister.'

'We'll he won't get her, she's cloaked with powerful magic.' Nik waved her off, 'not to mention whenever someone does a locater spell it appears as her being in the Bayou. A favour from our saviour I would imagine.'

'It appears that way yes, but we still need to deal with Lucien.' Freya sounded impatient.

'Oh, I will sister don't worry.' Nik purred and with that I heard him leave the compound. I rolled my eyes in annoyance; I knew what he was about to get himself into and I was going to have to save his ass. Again.

 _A few hours later_

'Now, darling. You may have your fun, but please keep Nik alive. I would so hate to miss his death,' Lucien promised.

I felt bad for him in a way; he was clearly in love with Aurora but all she cared about was getting revenge on Nik. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I blinked back to the present when I heard Lucien leave, knowing that the Strix, Elijah and Freya were going to try and take him on. They would fail, but they would live, meaning that my attention was needed here.

I listened, waiting for the right moment.

'I wonder when you decided to brick me into that dreadful tomb, did it ever occur to you that one day our roles would be reversed?' Aurora mused, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

'We both know that I buried you alive, because I could not bring myself to kill you,' Nik said, I could tell he was trying to manipulate her.

'No doubt you intended to free me after a suitable period of time.' She chuckled.

'In fact my methods were not like Tristan's after all. Did he not hide you away in a mountain monastery?' Nik nastily teased, before continuing with a softer tone, 'the truth is I still had hopes for us.'

I flinched, knowing he meant what he said; she my have betrayed him when she went after Cami, but she was his first love, there would always be a part of him that loved her. That would always love her. And no part of him would ever love me. I pushed down the pain that accompanied that reminder as I tuned back into the conversation.

'I would forgive everything, if you would only forgive me, my love,' Nik said, and this time I could tell he was talking out of his ass, and Aurora could too because she laughed. Hard.

'Wow, you really are quite desperate aren't you?' She asked, laughing again, 'I mean it's quite pathetic seeing you resort to this failed seduction. It's comical even.'

'And yet you would entertain Lucien's brazen advances?' Nik countered, sounding annoyed.

'Well…' Aurora murmured but Nik cut her off.

'Do you really think you could ever love that imbecile?' Nik sneered.

'Poor sweet Lucien,' Aurora tutted, sounding anything but sympathetic, 'after all these years he still remains such a dedicated suitor. Such a shame I'll never see him as more than a means to an end. But if he wants to save my brother in a bid to win my heart, why shouldn't I let him? Wouldn't be the first of his gifts I've accepted. After all… he gave me this.'

That was my cue. I flashed through the doorway, too fast to be seen and snatched the serum from her hand before placing it in my pocket. Before she could retaliate I snapped her neck and broke the hidden camera so Lucien wouldn't catch a flash of my face as I flashed behind Klaus to undo his bindings.

'Are you ever going to tell us who you are?' His voice rasped, and I felt my heart squeeze painfully when I saw him so vulnerable and hurt.

I didn't answer him, silently freeing him from his bindings and flashing away before he could turn and see my face. I thought I heard him whisper a thank you as I retreated, but I couldn't be certain and I wasn't going back to ask him to repeat himself.

My next stop was Davina and I arrived just in time to see Kol feed on her to the point of her death. Without wasting a moment I flashed in and snapped his neck, I noted with relief that the amulet around her neck glowed, meaning it had worked. I called Bonnie and she assured me she was minutes away. As I waited, I turned off the lights and gently placed Kol behind the bar; if he stirred I could snap his neck again before he saw me.

'Ah, just in time Bon,' I grinned at her, giving her the biggest hug when she entered the bar, 'I've missed you.'

'You too, Addy, but we should get this show on the road. It won't be long until baby Mikaelson wakes up.' She pointed out, readying everything she needed. Once she was ready, she wasted no time in getting along with the spell. I busied myself with pacing, and making sure no one came in before we were ready. I was looking out onto the busy street, people watching when I heard a gasp. I turned around to see Bonnie clearing away her things and Davina sitting up on the floor, clutching the side of her neck that was still bleeding. I flashed over to her and bit into my wrist before offering her my blood.

'You're going to be okay,' I assured her, stroking her hair softly, 'Now that Kol technically fulfilled his requirement of killing you, the ancestor's hold over him broke. When he wakes up he should be himself again.'

'You knew,' she croaked, pulling back from my wrist, 'why did you help?'

'Because you deserved to be helped,' I offered her a smile, squeezing her shoulder, 'anyway same rules apply, Davina, no one can no I was involved. If Kol asks you fixed this by yourself.'

'Okay. Thank you, Sophie.' She smiled warmly and I hesitated before shrugging.

'Actually, my name is Adelaide,' I told her offering her a sheepish grin, 'I didn't want to tell you my real name unless the wrong people heard it, but I trust you to keep it to yourself.'

Davina grinned and hugged me tightly, I returned the embrace before I left, taking Bonnie with me back to my hotel. She was going to help me tomorrow, to put a stop to this bloody prophecy once and for all. After I got her settled into one of the guest rooms I took the serum and poured it down the sink. Now Marcel couldn't get a hold of it, and with Davina still breathing he didn't have a reason to want it. I sighed as I settled into bed, a little more tension leaving my shoulders.

 _The Next Morning_

I was standing across from the compound, listening to what was happening inside; thankfully everything seemed quiet for now. Bonnie was with me and I was waiting for the Mikaelson's to rouse from their sleep to send her in. She was planning on offering her assistance, at my request of course but she wasn't going to tell them that. A Mikaelson witch paired with a Bennett witch would mean enough power to dissemble the species that Lucien had turned himself into.

'Why are you doing this for them?' Bonnie asked, sipping the Starbucks I had picked up for her on the way, 'some people would say they deserve everything they're getting.'

'I know, but they were my family once, Bon. I can't just let them die.' I told her, more open with her than I was with anyone else back in Mystic Falls. No one knew more about my history than Bonnie Bennett. She was loyal, non-judgemental, sarcastic and sweet. I didn't know what I would do without her.

'I get that,' Bonnie mused, resting her head on the brick building behind her, 'are you going to let them know you've been saving their asses for a thousand years?'

'No,' I scoffed, nearly spraying passers by with my drink, 'you know why.'

'Aurora is dead.' She reminded me, like I would have forgotten when I was the one who told her that yesterday.

After I had snapped her neck yesterday, Nik had ripped her heart out and left it on Lucien's doorstep. He was less than thrilled.

'Cami isn't,' I mumbled, 'he loves her, Bon, if I went back to them it would be a thousand years ago all over again.'

'But you never told him how you feel, Addy. Aren't you at least a little curious as to what his answer would be?'

'No. He never saw me as more than a friend.' I said, my voice turning bitter, 'what do you think would happen? I would pop up, declare my thousand yearlong love for him and he would just welcome me with open arms? I doubt he even remembers my name.'

'You're too hard on yourself.' Bonnie scolded me, 'you're the most selfless person I know. You're sweet, kind, caring, smart, beautiful and anyone would be lucky to have you.'

'Thanks, Bon.' I smiled at her, 'so how are things with you and Enzo?'

Her entire face lit up and she spent our remaining time together telling me about their blossoming relationship. I was happy for her; Bonnie tended to have crappy luck with guys and she deserved better. We chatted for a little while longer when I finally heard movement from inside the compound, I gave Bonnie the signal, letting her know it was time. She handed me her empty coffee cup and walked across the street, not even bothering to knock.

'Ah, if it isn't the little Bennett witch,' Klaus drawled, sounding confused and surprised.

'I'm here on orders,' Bonnie said, sounding severely unhappy about it, 'to help you defeat Lucien.'

'I see. And whose orders are you here by?' Elijah inquired, but he was met with a few moments of silence before Nik broke it with laughter.

'It has to be someone back in Mystic Falls. Two of those that have offered help have been from there. It can't be a coincidence.' Nik murmured, sounding like he was plotting much to my annoyance. But I knew he wouldn't figure me out; while he had been in town I had stayed out of his radar.

'Lets just get on with this shall we?' Bonnie sounded exasperated.

I listened as they agreed to lure Lucien into a trap; they were going to pretend to retrieve Bekah from the Bayou- seeing as that's where it said she was whenever a locator spell was preformed- and wait for him to corner them. Nik and Elijah were going in one vehicle, while Kol agreed to follow closely behind with Bonnie and Freya. Davina offered to help, but it was pointed out that the ancestor's magic created Lucien and it wouldn't help her destroy him. I was pleased with the plan and decided to follow behind encase anything went wrong, though I doubted it would.

Everything was going smoothly, Nik and Elijah were talking too quietly for me to hear as Nik drove the empty coffin back in the direction of the compound. Before I could blink another car crashed into the side of them, obviously the driver was Lucien. I watched in horror as he proceeded to beat the crap out of both brothers, fighting the urge to join in myself, as I knew it was all going to work out in the end.

And it did; Bonnie and Freya showed up, each holding one of Kol's hands as they channelled him and their own power. Lucien fell to his knees as he groaned in pain, and it continued until the chanting stopped. I smiled triumphantly when Freya announced he was a normal vampire. Before any of them could react, I flashed forward, too fast to be seen and tore out his heart, leaving just as quickly as I came.

'It appears our saviour wanted to finish him off,' Nik looked down at the dead body of Lucien, vaguely disappointed.

'After all he or she has done for us, I think we owe at least that much,' Elijah reminded him.

'I suppose you're right,' Nik reluctantly agreed, making me bite back a chuckle.

They disposed of the body, burning him, before leaving and returning to the compound. When they arrived I heard them talking amongst themselves.

'I can't believe it's finally over.' Freya sounded astounded.

'And with minimum bloodshed, that's always a plus,' Kol sounded like he was smirking.

'Yes, I fear this would have gone completely differently if it weren't for the help of our saviour.' Elijah mused, he paused for a minute before asking, 'do you need us to take you anywhere, Bonnie? It's the least we could do.'

'No, thanks. I actually have a plane to catch. I'd say it's been a pleasure but we all know I wouldn't have come if Addy hadn't asked,' Bonnie replied sounding like she was reprimanding them. I was just about to laugh when I realised what she had said. Shit. Shit. Shit.

'Addy?' Kol sounded confused and I tried to force myself to calm down, maybe they wouldn't figure it out from the abbreviation.

'Did I say Addy?' Bonnie was freaking out, and when she freaked out she rambled, 'I meant _Abby,_ yeah Abby. Definitely not Addy. Listen it's been great, we should do this again sometime, see you.'

With that she retreated and I let her be, knowing she knew her way back to the hotel and I needed to remain behind to make sure they didn't figure me out.

'Addy,' Elijah mused, sounding at a loss himself.

'Adelaide,' Klaus whispered and my heart leapt out of my chest.

'Whose that?' Freya wondered.

'Someone we haven't seen for a long time. I thought she was dead.' Elijah admitted sounding relieved by the revelation.

'She left us. Why would she help us now?' Klaus sounded vulnerable and I felt my heart squeeze at the tone.

'Why did she leave us, Niklaus?' Elijah asked, though his tone indicated he knew.

'Because I wouldn't believe her.' He answered begrudgingly.

'That's why she left?' Kol sounded pissed, 'I suppose it makes sense you were so enraptured with your precious Aurora that you didn't realise that even then she was a snake. Because of you, we lost the only one who ever truly accepted us for who we are.'

'But why would she watch out for us after all this time?' Klaus sounded bewildered.

'Perhaps that's something we need to ask her.' Freya said, the sound of shuffling could be heard and before I knew it, I could hear chanting. I had no idea what she was doing but I decided that then was as good of a time as any to get the hell out of there.

I met Bonnie at the hotel and after I assured her that the name slip was fine, because I was going to be a million miles away from New Orleans by morning, she calmed down. We said a teary goodbye before I put her into a cab to the airport. I had thought about following her, but I wasn't ready to go back to Mystic Falls yet, I wanted some time to myself where I could just relax and not have to worry about saving people. So I booked a first class plane ticket to Hawaii for the morning, which left me with one night in New Orleans. I was confident that I wouldn't be found until I had to leave; they had nothing to track me with for a locator spell so I refused to be stuck in my room until morning. During everything that had been happening, I hadn't had a chance to truly enjoy the city so I headed out to Bourbon Street, ducking into a bar that looked rowdy but not out of control.

'Ladies drink for free tonight!' A voice yelled as soon as I walked in, making me shake my head in amusement; I'd definitely walked into the right bar.

I hadn't been sat for two seconds when a drunk collage guy tried to hit on me, but I just brushed him off, not in the mood for _that_ kind of entertainment. I didn't know why I attracted the attention, I mean I supposed I was alright to look at; I had long, thick and curly brown hair that cut off at the base of my spine. I had an hourglass figure, my complexion was sun kissed all year round and my eyes were so blue that they were almost purple. I was wearing a short black dress and stiletto heels that made me a few inches taller; I was five foot five without heels. Not ugly but not hugely attractive either. I was plain, I blended into the shadows, which was probably why Nik hadn't been able to see me around the beauty that was Aurora.

'What can I get you, beautiful?' The barman asked, I gave him a smile and ordered bourbon. He seemed surprised but complied and slid the glass in front of me before moving on to serve the other customers.

As I stared into my glass I wondered what my life would have been like if I had never met the original family. If my mother hadn't been sick and we had all been permitted to attend Tristan's family celebration. I wouldn't have been allowed near them, as my father had already promised my hand in marriage to some pompous prick that lived a few towns over from us. His family was wealthy and offered my father a considerable sum for my hand in marriage. I had been meant to marry him that winter. Honestly, despite the pain that came with my life, I was glad I had met them. They gave me a real family, one that wasn't abusive and hell bent on wealth. They cared for me, even if it had only been for a brief period of time and I loved them. A certain one in a different way than the others, but the love was still there nonetheless.

Another glass was slid in front of me and I frowned in confusion; I hadn't even taken a sip of my current drink yet.

'I didn't order this,' I told him, sliding it back.

'It's from the gentleman at the end of the bar,' he answered, serving other customers who were screaming at him.

'How generous,' I muttered, rolling my eyes. The ladies drank free tonight, meaning he hadn't paid for it, but it was a nice gesture.

I didn't even bother to look in the direction the barman had pointed in, not wanting to give him an indication that I wanted to talk to him. What I wanted was to be left alone. With a sigh, I downed my first drink, savouring the burn in my throat before picking up my second glass. I eyed it for a moment before throwing caution to the wind, I held my glass up to salute the guy at the end of the bar but when I saw whom it was, the glass slipped through my fingers, smashing against the bar and I froze for a moment.

Nik was sat there, watching me.

I blinked out of my trance and instantly got to my feet; I muttered something that I hoped resembled an apology before I fled, welcoming the cold air to my lungs. How had he found me? That couldn't have been a coincidence. I walked into a hard chest and apologised, not even sparing the poor guy a glance, at least not until he grabbed my arm as I tried to pass him, my eyes met oak iris' and I gasped.

'Elijah,' I breathed, my eyes watering. Before I could stop myself I enveloped him in a hug, happy when he returned it.

'Adelaide, it's so good to see you.' Elijah murmured into my hair.

I pulled back and sent him a lopsided grin, 'you too, old man.'

'Excuse me but you're only ten years younger than myself.' Elijah smiled, amused.

'Mhmm, but those ten years are really showing on you, Lijah,' I laughed at his disgruntled face before my amusement faded and I remembered why I had been leaving in the first place, 'I need to-.' Another Mikaelson brother cut me off.

'Leaving so soon? Without saying goodbye to your _favorite_ Mikaelson, now that would be a tragedy, darling.' Kol said sarcastically from behind me.

I laughed and leaped into his arms, my amusement remaining when he span me around a few times before pulling me into a rib breaking hug.

'I can't believe it's been so long.' Kol said wistfully as he released me, keeping a hold of my arm, 'it feels like just yesterday you gave me that wooden pendant of a dove for my birthday.'

'You remember that?' I asked, surprised as I wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

'You thought we would forget you? Adelaide you were a part of our family before you left. We would never forget you.' Kol assured me, slinging an arm around my shoulders before casually adding, 'by the way don't think I've forgotten that you snapped my neck.'

'I couldn't have you seeing my face,' I laughed lightly before teasing, 'besides it's not my fault your reactions are slipping the older you get.'

'What is it with the comments about age tonight sweet Adelaide?' Kol held a mocking hand to his heart as if I had wounded him.

I laughed with Elijah, but when I saw Nik over his shoulder, my amusement faded and I felt the fear over come me. Elijah and Kol noticed my stare and assured me that Nik wouldn't bring me any harm, but it wasn't physical wounds I was worried about.

'I should go or I'll miss my flight.' I said, backing slowly away.

Kol and Elijah tried to stop me but I flashed away before they could. I stopped in an alley, breathing heavily, not from the extersion, but because I couldn't get my tears under control. It had been a thousand years since he last looked me in the eye and I couldn't bear the distain with which he regarded me. I was such a pathetic excuse for a woman. A thousand years and I was still in love with a man who hadn't looked at me as anything more than a friend, and then a liar. I leaned against the wall, sobbing loudly as I tried to pull myself together.

I needed to get over this- it was something I had told myself multiple times over the past thousand years but for some reason my heart would never listen to me. I was an idiot and I was going to die alone.

'Why all the tears love? I thought you would be happy to be reunited with my family.' Nik's voice snapped me out of my trance, I whipped my head in his direction and saw him standing at the entrance to the alley, and the other end was a brick wall. I was trapped.

'I'm not in the mood for this, Nik.' I said, hoping he would listen but knowing deep down he wouldn't.

'I haven't seen you for a thousand years, Adelaide. Is there a reason you met my brothers with open arms but when it comes to me you're driven to tears?' He asked, to anyone else he sounded mocking but I could detect the hurt in his voice.

'I didn't think you'd want to see me, given how you dismissed me after calling me a liar.' My voice was bitter and I tried not to delight in the guilt I saw on his face.

'I never should have believed her. You never lied to me and deep down I knew you were telling the truth, I just hadn't been ready to admit it yet.'

'It doesn't matter anymore.' I shook my head and held my breath when he came to a stop a foot from me, 'I left and you all moved on without me. Too much time has passed.'

'Nonsense. You know we'd welcome you back to our family with open arms,' Nik disagreed, regarding me critically and I twitched with my nerves; he'd always been able to read me better than everybody else, 'what's the real reason you stayed away all these years?'

'You know why, you tossed me aside like I was nothing, I figured I was nothing to you, so I left,' I shrugged trying to make light of it, 'now if you'll excuse me-,' I tried to step around him but he grabbed me and easily pinned me to the wall. I tried to ignore the way my upper arms tingled where he held onto me with his gentle but firm grip.

'Adelaide,' he whispered, looking in my eyes and I realized a second too late what he was doing, 'tell me the truth. Why did you leave?'

'When you didn't believe me it hurt me more than the sword Aurora struck me with. I loved you and you loved her, I couldn't bear the thought of having to deal with that pain over and over again every time you chose her over me. I decided I'd rather die and so I did.' I answered him, having no control over the words that were spilling out of my mouth.

'You died because of me?' He said, his own eyes flooding with tears.

'Yes. When I got back to my room that night, the pain was worse than anything I had ever felt. All I could see was Aurora's arrogance when I would have seen her the next day and the agony as you continued to look around me to see her. So I jumped. When I woke as a vampire my emotions were heightened and the pain was worse than it had been before. I spent the week ignoring you, silently hoping you'd seek me out to apologize but you didn't. I realized again that it would always be Aurora and the thought of dealing with that for eternity made me feel like someone was squeezing my heart… so I left.' I finished telling him, when I came back to myself I was furious, I tried pushing him away but he was stronger. He may have been ten years older but those years made a difference.

'How dare you!' I yelled, my hands hitting his chest and he just let me, not bothering to fight me off, 'you compelled me, what the hell is wrong with you-,'

'Forgive me, Adelaide, but I'm not done.' He whispered, his eyes burning with such intensity I couldn't help but stare into them, like a fool.

'Why didn't you want us to know you were helping?'

'Because if you knew I'd be welcomed back into the family and it would be like it was a thousand years ago all over again, except this time it would be me getting hurt while you overlooked me for Cami.' Inside I was raging and embarrassed at the words flying out of my mouth but I couldn't go a thing to stop it.

'You still love me?' He sounded astonished.

'I never stopped.' I told him.

With that the compulsion dropped and I was just about to scream bloody murder when his lips were suddenly on mine. I gasped at the sudden jolt of electricity that flowed through me, my lips moving with his automatically as I chased the feeling. He used my surprise to slip his tongue into my mouth, an action that made me moan with uncontained desire. He kissed expertly, knowing exactly how to flick his tongue and move his lips to generate the optimum amount of pleasure. Needless to say I was burning with arousal pretty much as soon as his lips touched mine. My hands went to his hair, tugging softly at the strands, when he groaned into my mouth I swear the temperature went up by a hundred degrees.

His lips moved from mine and down to my neck, nipping and sucking as he went, growling at the sounds of pleasure that escaped my lips without my consent. When his hand trailed down my side and to my leg he hooked it around his hip. I surprised us both by using the position to grind against his erection, the friction making us both moan aloud. When he whispered my name, my whole body shivered and burned at the same time.

'Are you sure this is what you want?' Nik asked, his hand caressing the bare thigh on the leg that was hooked around his hip.

I didn't verbally answer, instead I just nodded. He didn't love me like I loved him, but I was going to take whatever he was willing to give. I whispered the name and room of the hotel I was staying in and without a word he reached down, bringing both of my legs around his waist and flashed us away.

When we were securely locked behind the door, our kisses became more frantic. I pushed off his jacket, he kicked off his shoes, I pulled his shirt over his head and he unbuckled his jeans and let them fall to the floor. He placed me in the centre of the queen-sized bed, staring at me in wonderment before he snapped out of it, his hands trailing up my arms with such gentleness that I quivered in pleasure. When he reached my collarbone, he bought one hand to the zipper of my dress where it rested in between my breasts. After a second of hesitation he unzipped it. Slowly.

By the time it was off I was wiggling in anticipation, much to Nik's amusement. But despite his mirth, he didn't force me to wait for long and bought his lips down to mine in a searing kiss that I could have sworn melted my panties right off. I hooked my legs around his hips, grinding my core against his erection, with only the thin material of my panties in the way it was almost teasing. With a hungry growl against my neck, Nik tore my underwear away and slipped inside of me. I cried out loudly at the sensation of fullness, of being complete. He filled me and stretched me all at once, it was wonderful. That was before he started to move. My god, his hips moved against mine recklessly, roughly and I swore is someone had staked me right there and then I would have died a happy vampire.

'Adelaide,' Nik breathed against my neck, making my skin break out in goose bumps, 'come for me love, I know you're close.'

He was right I was, but I supposed a part of me wanted to hang on to the moment for as long as possible because it was incredible. But it was no use; when his hips started to grind against mine, filling me deeper and enticing more pleasure than I could handle, I fell over the edge screaming his name. He followed closely, my name also falling from his lips in ecstasy, something I never thought I'd hear. I sighed, content and satisfied. I felt Nik pull out of me and I prepared myself for him to leave without a word, but he pulled me to his chest and kissed my hair.

 _Just because he's not straight out of the door, it doesn't mean he cares for you. Don't set yourself up for heartache, Adelaide._

Deciding to rest my eyes for a moment, I breathed deeply and enjoyed the scent of him as it invaded my nostrils. I was asleep too quickly to fight it.

The next morning I was awoken by the sun shining through the curtains I had forgotten to shut. When I felt the warm presence of Nik still behind me, I was surprised to say the least; I'd thought he would have left while I was still asleep. Ironically, that was exactly what I was planning to do; I couldn't bear the awkwardness of the conversation. It was bad enough to have with strangers, never mind with someone you knew. Not to mention the pain; he would brush it off as nothing, and my heart would break again because while it hadn't meant a thing to him, to me it had been _everything._ After strategically untangling myself from his hold without waking him, I quickly packed my belongings and got dressed. I said a silent thank you to my vampire speed because without it, there would be no way I would have been able to complete my tasks without rousing the sleeping hybrid.

After one last lingering look at his peaceful sleeping form, I left, closing the door silently behind me. I left feeling like I'd just surrendered my heart to Nik for safekeeping, but I also felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Knowing how deep his slumbers tended to be, I decided to bid the rest of the family goodbye.

When I had to come to a stop at the threshold I chuckled; the one time I wasn't entering without them knowing.

'Elijah? Kol?' I yelled into the empty space, knowing one of them would hear me.

In a blink they were both in front of me, smiling in surprise. I assumed they thought I would be already gone.

'Care to invite me in?' I smirked, lifting a hand to show that I couldn't step over the threshold.

'Of course,' Elijah's lips twitched, 'Freya!'

The eldest Mikaelson appeared from down the corridor, when she saw it was me she invited me in without hesitation. Everyone was smiling until they noticed my suitcase.

'You're leaving again aren't you?' Elijah asked sadly.

'Yes. I have a flight in two hours, but I thought that I'd say goodbye this time.' Tears filled my eyes; I hadn't realized how hard this was going to be.

'You only just got back,' Kol protested, pulling me into his arms, 'Bex is on her way back and she'll be devastated that she didn't get to see you.'

'Don't try and bribe me with Bekah, Kol,' I warned, but it was half hearted and we both knew it, 'I need to leave.'

'Why? What has you so afraid of our brother?' Kol demanded.

'Kol…' Elijah started to scold him but I cut him off with a soft smile.

'It's okay Elijah you have a right to know.' I took a deep breath and channeled my inner courage, 'I've been in love with your brother for a thousand years; he broke my heart once because of Aurora. I can't bear it happening again. But I'll come and visit-,'

'You're such a fool!' Kol cut me off, exasperated.

'Forgive my brother's brashness, Adelaide, what he was trying to say is are you certain that my brother doesn't return your affections?' Elijah said, giving his brother a look.

'Yes. He may not love Aurora anymore, but I know he's in love with Cami,' I smiled sadly, turning to leave, 'I love you all. Goodbye.'

They looked like they were going to protest, but the voice that spoke next wasn't any of theirs.

'You are _not_ going anywhere.' My head whipped around to see Nik standing at the entrance of his home, his expression thunderous.

'Oh really?' I asked, anger burning like a flame in my belly.

'This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?' Freya asked Elijah.

'I'm afraid so.' Elijah said, exasperated.

'You think you just waltz back here after a _thousand_ years and expect us to let you go?' Nik yelled, walking up to me his eyes burning with rage, 'you are staying here.'

'You're going to need to stop speaking like you own me, Niklaus,' I warned, not shying away from his glare.

'You do belong to this family, Adelaide,' he growled, his eyes flashing amber.

I shook my head in disbelief and looked over to the most civil Mikaelson, 'did he really just say that?'

'Unfortunately, yes.' Elijah sighed.

'Just checking,' I nodded before slapping Nik so hard on the cheek that his head snapped to the side with a crack that echoed off the compound walls. The hybrid's head turned slowly around, the anger on his face made the other Mikaelson's hold their breath, but I just rose my eyes challengingly, not perturbed by his fury.

My lack of fear amused him, and that meant he was going to blow any moment. Sure enough in a flash I was roughly pinned to the wall with enough force to make an Adelaide sized dent in the stone. With a roll of my eyes I channeled my anger and pushed him away, sending him flying back into the compound table, shattering it to smithereens. He flipped back onto his feet and started to move back over to me, but hesitated, picking up one of the table legs. I paused, but I refused to be afraid.

'Niklaus-,' Elijah's tone was one of warning but I cut him off.

'Don't bother, Elijah, he's pissed off and until he works that out of his system you won't be able to get through to him.' I sighed, flashing up to the first floor in an attempt to confuse him but of course it didn't work.

'Don't talk of me as if you know me. I've changed a lot since we last knew each other, Ade.' Nik murmured from behind me, throwing me off the balcony before I could turn around. I landed on the concrete floor, breaking my arm on impact. With a wince, I cracked the bone back into place and turned to glare at the smirking hybrid.

'I've been watching over you and your family for a thousand years, Nik. It's _you_ who doesn't know _me_ anymore.' My voice was low and dripping with anger.

'What?' He whispered, he wasn't the only surprised Mikaelson.

'Just because you didn't care about me doesn't mean I stopped caring about all of you.'

'Adelaide,' Elijah sounded shocked, 'we care about you, you're like a sister to me.'

'I wasn't talking about you, Elijah,' I assured him and Kol with a smile before glaring at the hybrid on the first floor balcony.

'Are you still on this? I apologized for what happened with Aurora-,' Nik started rattling off but I stopped him.

'Did you?' I tilted my head to the side as I pretended to try and remember, 'you said you never should have believed her but you _didn't_ apologise.'

'Fine.' He leaped from the balcony and landed in front of me gracefully, 'I'm sorry. Now stop this nonsense about leaving.'

'Nik-,' I started to protest but Kol cut me off.

'The only bloody reason she wants to leave is because she thinks you don't care for her, and that you're in love with the bartender.' Kol told him, ignoring my glare.

'I know you're in love with her, and I want you to be happy, which is exactly why I stopped her from becoming a vampire. Trust me that wouldn't have ended well for her.' I thought, shuddering from the vision I had of Lucien biting her. I could have let her change and heal her afterward, but I knew that she hadn't wanted a life of immortality.

'I care about her, but I'm not in love with her.' Nik said and for a second I actually believed him.

'Stop-' I protested but Elijah cut me off.

'Let him finish, Adelaide, please.'

'When I first saw Aurora a thousand years ago I fell for her instantly, or at least I thought I did. It wasn't until I thought I had lost you that I realized… I loved the _idea_ of Aurora but I was _in love_ with you.' At his words I felt my heart leap in my chest but there was a small part of me that refused to believe it, still determined to protect a small part of myself.

'I came to see you a week after your transformation.' When he noticed my frown of confusion he continued, almost guiltily, 'I compelled you to forget.'

'Why?' I demanded.

'I'll let you see that for yourself.' Her murmured, tilting my chin to meet his gaze, 'you remember now.'

' _Thanks, Bekah but I think I just want to stay in my chambers tonight.' I told the smiling blonde at my door, not inviting her in._

 _I had been turned exactly a week ago, and I was still adjusting. My heartbreak over Nik was ten times worse than what it had been when I was human, half of the time I couldn't bear it, the other half I pretended to bear it. I was only successful in my façade because I didn't have to look at Nik or Aurora; both had been avoiding me religiously which I was both hurt by and grateful for._

' _But the festival only happens once a year, Ad, I know it's hard but the only way to feel normal is to act normal.' Bekah assured me, her hand squeezing my arm comfortingly._

 _I sighed, but I knew I couldn't go; Elijah had mentioned Nik and Aurora had been spending a romantic day together and I had almost cracked in front of everyone. I needed to be alone right now, to fall apart. It wasn't healthy but I needed it._

' _I'll go tomorrow.' I promised, my shoulders slumping in defeat, 'just let me have tonight and I promise I'll go tomorrow.'_

' _Fine. If you need me, send for me Ad.' Bekah hugged me tightly before leaving; when I saw her form disappear at the end of the corridor I gently closed the door, wiping away the few tears that had already escaped my eyes._

 _I was just about to undress and get ready for bed when a whoosh of air alerted me to someone else's presence. With a frown I turned slowly, my heart aching when I saw Nik standing at the end of my bed, more unsure than I had ever seen him._

' _Adelaide.' He whispered, his blue eyes clouded with tears as he took in my dejected expression._

' _What do you want, Nik?' I asked him, taking a discrete step back, as if a few more meters distance would make my heart hurt less. It didn't._

' _I'm so sorry. Truly, I am.' He murmured, and I knew if I didn't have my newfound supernatural hearing I wouldn't have picked up a word._

' _For what? Breaking my heart? Believing her over me? What exactly are you sorry for?' I asked, becoming more furious with each question, by the time I was finished my whole body was shaking in anger._

' _Ade…' he stepped closer but stopped when I took another step back, 'I should have believed you. You've never lied to me and honestly I don't think I ever truly believed Aurora.'_

' _Why has it taken you until now to say something?' I demanded._

' _I've been… conflicted. I thought I was in love with her but that night, when you told me what had happened I started to realize something.' His voice was soft, softer than I had ever heard it and I think that was what stopped me from stepping away when he moved closer to me._

' _When I found you that night after you had jumped…' he paused, visibly flinching at the memory, 'I knew for sure.' He placed his hands on my upper arms and gently pulled my body flush against his, startling a gasp from me._

' _You knew what?' I murmured, fascinated by the way his eyes glittered in the candlelight._

 _He smiled slightly, resting his forehead against mine and causing my eyes to close from the sensation._

' _I'm in love with you.' He whispered, so quietly my eyes snapped open. For a moment I thought I had imagined it but when I saw the affection in his gaze I knew I hadn't._

' _What?' I knew I was crying but I didn't care._

' _I was in love with the idea of Aurora, but I'm in love with you, Adelaide.' He bought his hand to the side of my face, smiling when I leaned into his touch._

' _Nik…' I took a deep breath, summoning all of my courage; 'I've been in love with you since I first saw you.'_

 _His expression softened completely, his lips parting in absolute wonder as he stared into my eyes. I felt the tension and the pain drain from my body and when he moved forward, I met him half way, releasing a whimper when his lips met mine in a tender kiss. I bit his lower lip, silently asking him to deepen the kiss and he did, his hands moving to my lower back to pull me closer to him. I moaned when his tongue entered my mouth, exploring every inch as I tangled my hands in his hair, gently tugging at the golden strands. After a moment we pulled apart my heart was hammering in my chest, and I could tell his was doing the same._

' _What does this mean for us?' I was nervous, he may have loved me but what if I cared for him more than he did for me?_

' _It should mean everything,' his hand caressed the side of my face as he spoke, his brow creasing in regret, 'but the villagers speak of demons that feed on human blood and my father will be getting wind of it soon.'_

' _You're leaving aren't you?' I hated how my voice trembled as I spoke; I forced myself to look away from his gaze so that he couldn't see the tears that were building up in my eyes._

' _We will be soon, yes. We're staying for Kol's birthday and then we're going before father finds us.' His voice was soft and it soothed my frayed nerves somewhat._

' _I'll go with you.' I said, my voice firm as my eyes met his again. I saw the shock in his eyes, that seemed to be amplified from the unshed tears._

' _I cannot ask you to do that. You've just become immortal, I can't… I_ _ **won't**_ _sentence you to an immortal life of paranoia and fear, Adelaide. You deserve better and…' he bought his index finger underneath my chin and gently forced me to meet his gaze, 'I want you to forget this conversation ever happened until I say you can remember. I never came; you stayed in and went to bed.'_

 _A single tear trailed down his cheek and then he was gone._

 _I wiped my cheeks, frowning when I found them to be wet- when had that happened? With a shrug I prepared for bed, trying not to linger on the fact that Nik hadn't come again._

'How long is she going to be like that?' Freya's voice snapped me out of the memory.

As I came back to myself I realized I had what must have been a painful grip on Nik's arm, which I released immediately.

'Why?' I whispered, briefly registering that everyone else in the room left, leaving me alone with the hybrid in the courtyard.

'Mikael hated me and I knew if he found out about you and how much I cared for you, he would have killed you without even blinking,' he admitted, close enough to me to share breath, 'I tried to find you when I had finally killed Mikael, but so much time had passed and I couldn't find a trace of you.'

'I've been laying low for centuries, hiding from you, Aurora, Tristan, Lucien and Mikael.' I admitted, unable to look away from the intense look in his eyes.

'Well then, love, it appears we're at a crossroads.' He edged ever so closer, his voice husky, 'which way are you going to go?'

'You know how I feel about you, Nik.' I whispered, my eyes flickering to his lips, my hands clutching his forearms in a death grip, 'it's your move.'

'The truth is,' his forehead rested against mine before he continued, his eyes shining with such affection it took my breath away, 'I love you more than I've ever loved anyone.'

The sincerity in his beautiful blue eyes made any hesitation crumble away and I bought my lips to his eagerly. This kiss wasn't like last night. It was gentle and affectionate in a way that made every nerve ending in my body hum with anticipation. He was showing me how much he cared for me through the kiss, and it made my heart warm in my chest. He bit my lip softly, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss, which I gave him by moving my hands to his curls and tugging gently. In a flash, I was pinned against the wall, Nik firmly holding me to him with one hand tangled in my hair and the other on my lower back. He pulled back and observed me for a moment and that was when I knew. When he was looking at me as if I were the most precious thing on the earth to him, that was when I knew he loved me just as much as I loved him, and we would love each other that much always and forever.

 _Epilogue Five Years Later_

'I can't believe you did that,' Hayley shook her head, a small smile of disbelief on her face.

'You know you'd think after five years you'd know me pretty well,' I winked at her before casually throwing my arm around her shoulders.

'You'd think I would, but you still manage to surprise me,' she chuckled, looking over to where Nik, Marcel, Elijah and Kol were sitting.

I was having a girl's night with Freya, Bekah, Hayley and Davina while Nik, Marcel, Elijah and Kol were having a boy's night. They hadn't been planning on going out, but when it was mentioned we were thinking of going out to the club across the street from Rousseau's they suddenly remembered they were going to pop into the local for a pint- Nik's words not mine. I had rolled my eyes in amusement, because even after five years together he was still just as protective of me. It was both infuriating and amusing. Kol and Elijah were the same with their respective partners, but no one was as bad as the hybrid.

When they announced they were going out- Hope was staying with her Mary for the weekend out in the Bayou- I had proposed we teased them a little. Nothing horrible, but something that would entertain the ladies of the group. I had just initiated phase one and sent a round of shots over to them- I'd told the waitress to say it was from the man at the opposite end of the bar where they were sat.

All of us were laughing at the varying expressions of each male; Elijah was affronted, Marcel and Nik were amused while Kol was incredibly flattered and offered the confused man at the end of the bar a salute with his shot before he downed it.

'Typical Kol,' Davina shook her head fondly before taking a sip of her drink, her engagement ring catching the lighting and making it glitter.

'That boy's ego is worse than Nik's,' Bekah muttered, shaking her head in amusement, 'and that's saying something.'

'Here, here.' I saluted, clinking my glass against hers. I was no stranger to Nik's ego, but it was one of the things I loved about him.

'So what are we going to do next?' Hayley wondered, accepting the tequila shots from the waitress.

'I have no idea,' Davina giggled, the alcohol was starting to affect her. Unlike the rest of us she didn't have vampire tolerance.

'Way ahead of you, ladies. Watch and enjoy,' I winked, holding up my shot glass in a salute as we turned to observe the scene again; we were sat in a corner booth, and unless they were specifically looking for us, they were never going to see us here.

We watched as the man I had compelled before we had even walked into the bar, the same one who had sent the shots, responded to the discrete signal I sent him. He walked towards our group of men, smiling seductively. Nik was the first to notice his approach and he looked incredibly amused that the man had been brave enough to come over. He nudged Elijah and his reaction was a mixture of horror and curiosity, an expression that made Hayley snort into her bourbon and coke. I patted her on the back and she recovered just as the man reached the group.

'Good evening gentlemen.' The man grinned, Nik nearly spat out his drink all over Marcel when the man placed a hand on his shoulder, 'I was wondering if I could get your number?'

'Who are you asking there, buddy?' Marcel grinned over at Elijah who looked like he was trying to be invisible.

'You?' The man tilted his head over to Nik.

Marcel bit his lip to stop from laughing, Kol looked offended, Elijah looked relieved and Nik was a mixture of amused and flattered.

'I appreciate the interest mate, but I have a girlfriend,' Nik smirked, waving over to the bartender, silently asking for a refill.

'Oh,' the man pouted, glancing around the group, 'are all of you straight?'

'I'm afraid so handsome,' Kol winked, causing the man to blush.

'Alright then,' he huffed in disappointment before turning to leave, 'have a good night gentlemen.'

'You too!' Kol and Nik said at the same time.

The man returned to the bar and ordered himself another drink, sending me a discrete wink over his shoulder.

'That was brilliant,' Bekah gasped, wiping the tears of laughter from her cheeks.

'Seriously.' Hayley and Freya said simultaneously.

Everyone's laughter increased when I showed them the pictures I had managed to capture of everyone's different expressions. Elijah's was the best, hands down. I sent it to Hayley when she asked me to, and I had no doubt that would be her new screensaver.

'It was too great,' Davina giggled, waving her hands around frantically.

'Alright sweetheart, no more alcohol for you.' Freya moved the drinks away from her and handed her an orange juice instead.

'So how's Finn doing? I heard you on the phone to him earlier.' Bekah asked Freya, taking a sip of her gin and tonic.

'He's good, happy for once,' Freya smiled as she thought of her oldest brother.

Since Finn had left five years ago, he had returned a handful of times to visit his family but found that the distance from the other Mikaelson's was healthy for him and his mental health.

'I'm glad,' I murmured, frowning at the man who was approaching our booth.

'Ladies, these are from the men at the end of the bar.' He grinned at us, laying down a fresh refill of our drink choices for the night.

We all shared confused looks before Bekah and I edged forward to look at the bar, seeing as we were on the end of each side. We noticed the boys all watching us, varying degrees of amused. I squeaked in surprise and nearly fell off my chair when Hayley leaned against me to see what I was looking at.

'Bloody hell,' I huffed, pushing the hybrid back into the booth and ignoring the chuckles of amusement from our men at the other side of the bar.

'Well… the cats out of the bag ladies.' Bekah muttered, downing the drink they had sent over to her in one.

'I knew they'd notice us eventually.' I shook my head in amusement looking at each of them in turn, 'get ready.'

They all looked confused when I raised my hand in the air, holding up five fingers. The bartender noticed and held up a mega phone.

'Midnight has come early tonight beauties! Grab someone hot and get dancing!' He yelled, turning the music up and flickering the light switch on and off.

The crowd went crazy, effectively hiding us from the sight of our men and allowing us to join in with the crowd, but I could have sworn I heard Nik growl at the bartender's words. I was paired with Bekah; Freya was with Hayley and Davina. We went to separate ends of the club, dancing with everyone else and effectively avoiding strangers' roaming hands. I grinned when I noticed Nik looking around for me and turned around just before he was about to look my way, but it was no use; I could tell he had spotted me from the way the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

'We've been spotted,' Bekah chuckled, gesturing over my shoulder.

Before I could turn around I felt a familiar pair of hands wrap around my waist from behind, while Marcel pulled Bekah flush against him with a grin.

'I wasn't expecting to see you in here tonight love,' he murmured into my ear, his warm breath raising goose bumps on my skin.

I grinned and turned around in his arms, threading my arms around his neck, one hand idly playing with the curls at the nape of his neck.

'Maybe we couldn't stay away,' I murmured into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

I felt his chest vibrate with his growl and bit back a moan when he gripped me tighter. I pulled away from his neck, resting my forehead against his. Ed Sheeran's _thinking out loud_ began to play and I smiled as Nik's hold on my waist went from firm to gentle as we subconsciously danced to the music.

'How long have you known we were here?' I asked, curious.

'Since I heard you laughing after you sent that bloke to hit on us.' He smirked; narrowing his eyes playfully, 'I could pick your laugh out of a line up.'

I blushed, looking down; we may have been together for half a decade but I still struggled to get my head around how much he loved me sometimes.

'It was funny,' I murmured, smiling as I remembered, 'I couldn't decide whose reaction was funniest.'

'I for one was very flattered.' He chuckled, gently kissing my forehead before staring intently into my eyes, his orbs sparkling with affection, 'you look beautiful tonight.'

I blushed again, but smiled softly at the compliment. I was wearing a scarlet red body con dress that cut off a few inches above my knee with black strappy heels I had lent from Bekah; I didn't wear heels very often and she had plenty at her disposal. My make up was light; I'd never liked to wear too much and my hair was up in a high ponytail. Which in that moment I was incredibly grateful for as Nik leaned forward to place a lingering kiss to the crook of my neck, his stubble teasing the skin.

'You look hot,' I told him honestly, smiling at his bashful grin, 'as always.'

'You two are revolting.' Kol teased, throwing his spare arm around my shoulder- his other was wrapped around his fiancé's waist.

'Now I know you're not lecturing us on being revolting little brother,' Nik gave him a pointed look that made Kol shrug in acceptance.

Kol and Davina were the couple that was most affectionate towards each other in public, with Marcel and Rebekah coming in a close second. Nik and I were third with Hayley and Elijah coming in last.

'Whatever. Let's get out of here- it's too crowded.' Kol grimaced and I had to agree; one of the reasons we had decided to ditch the club was because we didn't want to be cramped into a hot and sweaty space where we wouldn't be able to hear each other. Also we wanted to tease the guys a little.

'I'm up for that.' I murmured, moving my arm around Nik's waist and resting my head against his shoulder, when he placed his arm on my hip and rubbed his thumb back and forth comfortingly, I smiled.

'Me too!' Davina yelled back, still a little pissed it seemed.

'Where did you have in mind?' Nik asked as he followed after his brother, making sure to keep me firmly against his side. Like I said, he was protective and more often than not, I loved it.

'Bekah! Freya! Hayley! We're leaving!' I yelled, loud enough to be heard over the music of the bar, I laughed when Nik made a show of rubbing his ear, I placed a kiss to his earlobe to make up for my volume. He grinned, his eyes becoming soft as he looked down at me.

We all decided to head back to the compound; it was quieter and we had more than enough booze and music to satisfy everyone. The first thing I did when we got there was take off my heels; I may have been a vampire but those things killed my feet just the same. Bekah rolled her eyes playfully at my actions but didn't say anything as we went to the living room and sat around on the sofas and armchairs.

'I can't believe it's been five years.' Davina mused. She was sat on Kol's lap, one hand holding yet more alcohol while the other played with her fiancé's hair, much to his pleasure.

'Five years since what darling?' Kol asked, amused by his other half's ramblings.

'Since the prophecy, the strix, me temporarily dying,' she listed off, nearly smacking Kol in the face as she did, 'time goes by so fast.'

'That does feel like it was about a month ago rather than five years.' I agreed with the witch, smiling over to the hybrid that was running his hand absentmindedly up and down my calf; I was sat with my back against the arm and my feet carelessly thrown across his lap.

'I'm glad it's over,' Freya muttered, seeming miles away, 'I thought for sure we were doomed for a minute there.'

'Well it all worked out, so lets talk about happier things.' I waved my hand, not wanting the night to take a depressing turn.

'Yes! Like how Hope is going to be starting school soon!' Freya said beaming at the mention of her niece.

Hope had been home schooled by all of us up until this point- she had wanted to go to a normal school since she was old enough to talk, but Nik and Hayley were adamant on waiting until she could learn to control her powers. Which, thanks to Freya, she was brilliant at.

'She's so excited,' Hayley smiled softly, her head resting against Elijah's shoulder.

'It appears that way,' Nik pursed his lips, attempting to look displeased but he wasn't fooling anyone; he would move the moon if Hope wished for it and that was what made him a brilliant father.

'I'm sure she will exceed,' Elijah murmured, his hand intertwining with Hayley's and resting on his lap.

'She will, she's so smart,' Freya smiled, shaking her head in disbelief, 'much smarter than I was at her age.'

We all murmured an agreement. Hope was the sweetest, kindest and most intelligent seven-year old I had ever met. She was a testament to her parents and I was proud of Nik for being such a good father to her, just like I knew he would be.

'She told me she was scared she wasn't going to make any friends the other day,' I said, taking a sip of my bourbon, 'I told her that she's incredible and all the kids would be fighting for the chance to be her friend.'

'Of course they will be,' Nik said firmly, shining with pride for his daughter and making me smile. I leaned up and placed a kiss to his jaw, earning a look that was a mixture of surprised and soft.

'I'm going to call it a night anyway guys.' Kol said, lifting Davina up bridal style; she had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

We all bode them a goodnight.

'Seriously though, have you ever wondered what would have been different if the prophecy had worked out how it was supposed to?' Marcel asked, softly running his hand through Bekah's hair; she was close to falling asleep against his shoulder from what I could tell.

'Yeah I don't like to think about it.' Hayley muttered, visibly flinching.

I stayed quiet until I felt all eyes on me, at which point I frowned, 'what?'

'You know what would have happened or you wouldn't have done so much to change it.' Marcel said, observing me curiously.

'Yeah… I don't wanna talk about it and trust me you don't want me to either.' I told him, sending a pointed look.

None of them listened and eventually I found myself caving.

'Fine,' I sighed, pursing my lips as I tried to remember, 'the first thing I interfered with was giving the cure to Freya when she was poisoned. If I hadn't she would have nearly died while trying to cure Rebekah. Then I sent over Josie and Lizzie, if I hadn't done that Bekah's curse would have been reawakened when she fled that night, Elijah would have daggered her and hid her whereabouts from you,' I pointed to Nik, 'if I hadn't countered Aurora's compulsion, Cami would have turned into a vampire and gone all crazy, she would have figured out that she horse statue was made of white oak.'

I refrained from grinning at the amazed expressions that were giving me their complete attention.

'Nik would have stolen her dark objects because she was acting all irrational and Cami would have taken the white oak to use as a bargaining chip. Davina would have found out Cami had it, a witch in the strix's coven would have used magic on Davina to find out what she knew and to steal the white oak back. That witch would have been working for Aurora.' I couldn't help my grimace at the mention of the red head, but it disappeared as Nik continued to comfortingly rub my calf.

'Aurora would have kidnapped Freya to lure Elijah and Nik out to the woods where she would have the white oak condensed into bullet form. Elijah would look for and find Freya, Aurora would shoot Elijah. Nik would let her get away to get the bullet out of Elijah's body.' I paused as I tried to remember, taking a sip of whiskey.

'The remaining bullet would be handed over to Anya, who bargained with her to help her brother.' I rolled my eyes at Aurora's idiocy, 'Davina would have been working with the strix to find a way to remove the sire lines. She would have figured out that an unsired heart was needed, the strix would have come for Hayley.'

'Of course,' Nik whispered looking over to the woman in question, 'you're from Hope's line.'

'Exactly, but Marcel would have offered up Jackson's heart as an alternative. Then the strix would have put you and Elijah in a dream world with Julian and Aurora while they prepared the ritual. Freya would have been channeling Lucien to try and get you out while Stefan and Hayley headed to the house where the ritual was taking place to help. Stefan would have scratched away the paste masking the signal of his mark, luring in Regna to help with the vampires. Freya would have gotten Elijah out in time and Nik would have gotten out too if it weren't for Davina's determination to finish the ritual. She would have held you in with her magic until it was complete.'

'My sire line would have been broken.' Nik shook his head in disbelief, 'every vampire who hated me would have been on their way here to kill me.'

'Which was why it couldn't happen. You, Hayley and Hope would have had to run.' I smiled before returning to the story, 'Davina would have only wanted to complete the ritual for the nexus vorti, so she could bring Kol back. To offer her another way, I needed ingredients, so I asked for a token of Kol's so that I could force a vision- that was also the night after I burned the white oak and trapped Julian inside that storage unit. When I found other means to do it, I offered them to her- your mother's necklace and the other ingredients. Which was why I broke in one night to steal some of your blood.' I sent a sheepish smile to Nik and Elijah.

'You know I was furious about that,' Nik laughed, shaking his head, 'I thought it was the strix and was stumped with how they got in seeing as the deed was in Freya's name.'

'I had your contract switched over to my lawyer so that only I could control whether it got thrown out or not. When I needed to get in, I had it rendered void until I had what I needed.' I shrugged casually.

'That's smart. I wouldn't have been able to get it thrown out.' Marcel commented, impressed.

'I'll get to that later on.' I told him, winking when he looked confused, 'so with Kol bought back in a different way, Davina had no reason to stay with the strix, but I knew the ancestors would have hijacked the spell either way because they wanted her dead. So I gave Davina a piece of jewelry that would hold her life force when she died and stop her from being held on the ancestral plane. I already knew when and where it was going to happen so all I had to do was make sure Bonnie was in town, which she was. After Bonnie bought Davina back, I sent her to you, knowing that the combination of a Bennett and Mikaelson witch would be more than enough to take down Lucien and there you have it.' I shrugged.

'You thought of everything.' Nik shook his head in amazement.

'I knew when Freya and Vincent were going to be taken for the ritual, as much as I wanted to intervene, I couldn't. It had to play out to it's minimum or someone else would have done it.' I said quietly, my gaze on my glass.

'You saved Finn right after that,' Freya remembered, I looked up to notice her impressed gaze, 'how?'

'Before I came to New Orleans I went to Lucien's company and found the one where he was building his incurable werewolf venom. I drained his receptionist of vervain, compelled her to tell her boss everything was going to plan if he called and took half of the samples of everyone's venom and left the others for him to add to the ritual. Then I healed them all and set them free, eventually I got the venom transformed into a healing balm which is what I sent over to help with Finn.' I informed them, standing from the couch to pour myself another glass of whiskey, 'if Cami had been a vampire, Lucien would have bitten her in order to draw you out, but when that didn't work he would have gone after Bekah's body that was buried in the Bayou.'

'What would have happened if you hadn't saved Davina?' Hayley asked, 'if you hadn't sent Bonnie?'

'Marcel would have found Davina dead and would have gone to Freya for help. Vincent would have consecrated Davina's body and Freya would have drawn her to a circle and away from the ancestors who wanted to shatter her soul into a million pieces. Nik and Hayley would have been retrieving Bekah's body from the Bayou after Lucien's threat and would have been attacked by Lucien. Out of desperation, Freya would have used Davina's link to the ancestors to steal enough power to reverse the spell on Lucien, but would have essentially sacrificed Davina in the process.' I avoided everyone's eyes as I continued, 'Marcel would have been pissed, understandably, and when Vincent offered him the other serum he withdrew from Aurora he would have taken it.'

'Oh my god.' Bekah whispered.

'Cami and Davina's funerals would have been on the same day. Nik would have gone to talk to Marcel to try and make amends, Elijah would have asked Freya to check that the prophecy was finished and finding it wasn't, he would have gone to confront Marcel. In a panic, Elijah would have ripped out Marcel's heart, sending him tumbling into a river and finishing the transformation.'

I took a deep breath, summoning my strength to finish the story.

'Marcel would have gathered Nik's enemies, and gotten access to the compound. Kol and Elijah would have been bitten and Freya would have been poisoned. Hayley would have undaggered Rebekah and she would have woken just in time to stop Marcel from biting Nik. Bekah would have negotiated a trial, but the curse would have taken her over and she would have turned against him. Freya would have done a spell to link you all together and put you in a sleep so that Hayley could find cures for all of your ailments. Nik would have been trapped underneath the compound for five years, before you rescued him.' I sighed, silently grateful I had been able to stop it, 'that's everything.'

'Bloody hell.' Bekah said dryly, making me chuckle.

'Indeed.' Elijah agreed, looking overwhelmed, just like everyone else.

'Thank you. For helping us.' Nik said solemnly and I just offered him a bright smile and a shrug.

'Seriously, without you so much would be different.' Marcel mused, looking over to the blonde that was still resting on his shoulder with a soft smile.

'It's what I do,' I waved my hand dismissively.

Later that night, when we had all gone to bed I thought about how I had never foreseen the prophecy leading to this life for me. I had my family back, as well as some new additions, and the man I had loved for a thousand years loved me just as much. I was incredibly lucky, and as I surrendered my body to Nik that night, both of us becoming lost in ecstasy, I couldn't help but think that I wouldn't change a thing. This was how it was meant to happen, and life couldn't have been more perfect.


End file.
